ovarian health

This Women’s History Month, rather than looking back, we’re looking forward to the bright future we all deserve – one in which less lives are lost to breast and ovarian cancer, every young woman is empowered to know her risk and manage her health proactively, and women everywhere can live healthier, happier, longer lives.

Bright Pink is committed to serve as a tenacious champion for women as they journey toward these futures. And we’re proud to be amongst some of today’s most innovative women’s health leaders striving to meet the ever-changing needs of women as they navigate the shifting healthcare landscape.

We’ll feature other wonderful health innovators on our blog, through Instagram giveaways, and as a matching donor to our Facebook Fundraiser.

Together, we’ll secure Her Bright Future

Throughout March, we’ll introduce a wonderful health innovator who is working alongside Bright Pink to create Her Bright Future. First up? We’re teaming up with Modern Fertility: The fertility hormone test you can take at home. Get to know the power-duo behind the company, Afton Vechery & Carly Leahy.

Tell us a bit about Modern Fertility and how your mission empowers women?We’re a women’s health company focused on making fertility information more accessible, earlier in life. We take the same fertility hormone tests offered in infertility clinics and make them available before your first (or next) kid. We plan out everything in our lives––our finances, our careers––but when it comes to fertility, we’re still expected to just “wait and see”––and in 2019, that’s just not good enough. Modern Fertility is putting the power of fertility knowledge directly into the hands of women, so they can be their own best advocates when it comes to decisions impacting their bodies and futures.

How did the idea come about to create Modern Fertility?Our CEO and cofounder Afton Vechery decided she didn’t want to have kids until later in life, so she set out to better understand her fertility and start planning ahead. The process wasn’t easy: multiple appointments and procedures—plus a $1,500 bill that came in the mail when it was all done. Despite the painful process, she felt empowered by the information she uncovered, which allowed her to understand her body and take control of her roadmap. The experience spawned the idea for Modern Fertility. Afton was inspired to make this process dramatically easier and more accessible so more women could take the reins of their personal health.

What differentiates Modern Fertility from more traditional fertility/ hormone testing?Traditional fertility testing takes place in infertility clinics, typically only after you’ve tried to conceive and are having problems. With less than 500 infertility clinics nationwide and costs reaching above $1,500, this traditional process is problematically constrained, not to mention, is designed to be reactive instead of proactive. Modern Fertility is the most comprehensive hormone test that you can take at home––helping women understand reproductive health early so they can make a decision accordingly.

How does Modern Fertility prioritize women’s health? Everything we do is focused on bettering women’s health. Our internal motto is simply, “We trust women.” We believe that women deserve to understand and own their persona health information so they can be their own best health advocate and work with their doctors while staying in the driver’s seat––all to make the decisions that are right for them.

Which #bossbabe inspires you the most? There are so many, but we love Michelle Obama for showing us you can be smart, sexy, motherly, feminine and goofy all in one go. Her memoir, Becoming, is a must-read. Must own.

Your go-to Girl Power pump-up music is _______. When we first started the company we listened to Havana by Camila Cabello a lot. Like––a lot a lot.

Favorite way to self-care and why? We both love to sweat. Our exercise of choice? Biking!

Please describe how you envision Her Brighter Future. What does it look like? What opportunity exists? What equity is achieved? We see a world where fertility testing is as routine as a pap smear. And that’s just the beginning. We’re working toward a future where every woman has access to information about her body that will help her make informed decisions about her life.

For over a decade, Bright Pink has encouraged all women to take a proactive approach to their breast and ovarian health. Though all people with breasts and ovaries face some cancer risk, these diseases do not affect all women in the same way. Black women are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, and in 2018, the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imagingrecommended that Black women be added to groups considered at higher-than-average risk for breast cancer.

Notoriously left out of the national women’s health conversation, Black women deserve more personalized content to drive behavior change and start to change these odds. Bright Pink is committed to connecting with and engaging this audience with intentionality and purpose in hopes of leveling the playing field related to personalized prevention. As such, we’re launching a campaign this February called “Hey, sis” focused on engaging young Black women in proactive health management. This year-round campaign will feature digital advertising, inspirational social content, storytelling on Bright Pink’s blog, influencer engagement, brand partnerships, and more.

To kick things off, we’ll set the stage by diving a bit deeper into risks Black women face specifically. Throughout the year we’ll share additional content under the “Hey, Sis” umbrella that features personal breast and ovarian health experiences from Black women, personalized health recommendations for the Black community, progress being made to address these barriers, and more. Join us, follow along, and spread the word – because we’re stronger when we all work together in pursuit of the bright future every woman deserves.

Health disparities between Black and white women in the US have existed for decades and were first recognized 30 years ago. Today, even though Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they are still much more likely to die from the disease than their white counterparts. Black women are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. That’s a significant increase compared to 1990, when Black women were 17% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.1

Why such a big difference? Overall, Black and white women develop breast cancer at similar rates, however, Black women tend to face much harder diagnoses. For one, they are are more likely to develop breast cancer before the age of 40. They also have higher rates of triple negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types of the disease. Though triple negative breast cancer only represents between 15 and 20 percent of all breast cancers,2 Black women are twice as likely to receive this diagnosis. In addition, women with triple-negative breast cancer are more likely to have a BRCA gene mutation, an inherited mutation3 that increases their risk of breast cancer between 69 and 72 percent in their lifetime and raises their risk for ovarian cancer to between 17 and 44 percent.4

Beyond their biological risk factors, Black women face multiple barriers in accessing prevention and early detection services because our healthcare system fails to provide women with appropriate information, integrate risk assessments into primary care, and provide risk identification and management services at an affordable cost. They have lower screening rates when compared to white women, causing doctors to detect their cancers at a later, more aggressive and life-threatening stage.

The treatment experience is also uniquely challenging for Black women, complicated by their tendency to experience more prominent scars post- surgery, and their potential to develop keloids and hypertrophic scarring in addition to hyperpigmentation. Not to mention, Black women have a complex and deeply personal relationship with their hair.

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At Bright Pink we believe that knowledge is power; that risk awareness can be the catalyst for women to access more frequent screening, pursue genetic testing, and access treatments not routinely recommended to the general population. These actions can greatly improve their chances of preventing cancer or detecting it in its most treatable stage.

We are not so naive as to think that we alone can solve this problem. But, by leaning into our strengths in digital content, innovation, and partnerships with the healthcare industry and beyond, we can certainly play a significant role in the solution. We’ll continue to ensure our resources speak to and meet the unique needs of Black women throughout the country, so that when presented with the opportunity to take control of their health, Black women feel heard, understood, and supported to do so. We’ll pursue new opportunities to welcome Black women into our community, to brighten up on their breast and ovarian health, assess their risk, explore their genetics, partner with their providers, and more.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthier life, no matter who they are.

Did you know? About 21,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and of those, 14,000 die from it. That’s essentially ⅔ ratio. This year, I became one of those 21,000; however, I’m also incredibly lucky to be one of the fortunate ones who caught it before it was too late.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is important to me because there is so much that we, as women, don’t know about our bodies and how we can be proactive about our health.

My Story

At 34, I was the epitome of a healthy young woman. I eat clean, don’t smoke, exercise regularly, and wear sunscreen. One day, I walked into the doctor’s office and found out I have cancer.

My journey started with a gut feeling. In recent years, I’d had a number of friends who had confided in me about their trouble conceiving and, as an unmarried woman in my early 30’s who desperately wants children one day, I decided to trust my instincts and look into freezing my eggs.

At my initial appointment, the doctors gave me an ultrasound which revealed a large ovarian cyst on my right ovary. The doctors assured me it was nothing, “99% chance it’s benign” but nonetheless, they recommended I have surgery to remove it so it wouldn’t rupture and cause more severe internal damage. I reluctantly agreed.

Surgery number one was scheduled in September. The plan was to have the cyst removed and then I could proceed with egg freezing; however, after surgery, I walked in to my follow up appointment for the biopsy results and got the news everyone dreads hearing.

On October 5, 2017 I was diagnosed with immature teratoma (stage 1) ovarian cancer. As the doctors explained to me, the initial cyst was benign; however, during surgery, they found another tumor that none of the scans had shown. That tumor was cancerous.

The next few weeks were a blur. I saw numerous doctors for second and even third opinions to understand what was going on in my body and what was the best course of action for my treatment. After reviewing all options, the treatment plan was outlined to have surgery to remove my right ovary and, as long as the cancer hadn’t spread, I wouldn’t have to proceed with chemotherapy.

I felt so many emotions during those weeks leading up to surgery. I wondered how on earth this was happening to me, why I didn’t know and what signs I missed. As someone who is extremely type A, I scoured my calendar for missed annual appointments or anything of that nature and I came up short. I had done everything right, it just didn’t make sense.

Going into surgery was one of the scariest days of my life. I believed in my heart that I would be ok but I still saw the fear in everyone’s faces when they learned my story. But I’m nothing if not a fighter so I forged ahead, trying to remember to be brave like all those other women who’ve been through this battle too.

Luckily, on Thanksgiving that year after surgery #2, I was given the news that I was cancer-free. This means I would be closely monitored for the next year but essentially, I had a clean bill of health and wouldn’t need additional treatment.

As I stand here today, it’s certainly not lost on me how fortunate I am to have caught this early. And, when Bright Pink approached me to write this piece, I’m reminded of something I heard once that really stuck with me: It’s not luck that changes your fate. Everyone in this world will have situations that are “lucky.” It’s what you do with that luck that has the power to change the world.

For me, that’s why Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is so important. I’m standing here today not with any large life lesson or sign/symptom that I can share to save you or your loved ones from cancer. Instead, I’m joining Bright Pink and telling you to #ListenUp.

#ListenUp to your instincts. If you think something isn’t right, call your doctor. Who knows, it just may save your life. It saved mine.

MORGAN BELLOCK is a Public Relations professional living in the Chicago area. You can get in contact with Morgan at [email protected]

When I got a phone call from my Uncle Joe, a surgical breast oncologist, several years ago I had no idea that it would save my life. He called because he knew I had three aunts who had been diagnosed with cancer (one passed away from ovarian cancer at just 41 years of age, another after a long battle with breast cancer, and one who is a breast cancer survivor to this day) and encouraged me to see a genetic specialist to better understand my personal breast and ovarian cancer risk.

Before long, I entered a program that took a deep dive into my family history. While my test results came back negative for the most common genetic mutations associated with these cancers, the genetic specialist shared that my risk factor was greater than the average woman. Knowing this allowed me to have very important conversations with my doctors about early detection and prevention strategies.

Several years later, during a routine self-exam, I found a lump. I remember it all too well: I had just worked out and had 15 minutes for a quick shower before I needed to take my son to basketball practice. In fact, I can still remember looking at the clock in a typical rushed state. I recall telling myself that I was no good to him if I was not here, took those few extra minutes, and proceeded with my exam.

After several tests, the lump was diagnosed as stage one breast cancer. Because of the information I already knew about my family health history, I chose to undergo a double mastectomy and later, an oophorectomy. Understanding my level of risk allowed me to make informed decisions about my health.

As I continue my quest to share knowledge as a Bright Pink Education Ambassador, I cannot stress the importance of taking the time to #ListenUp to your health. As a woman, I know that the role of caretaker comes to me naturally, in addition to being a wife, employee, and volunteer. As women, we never forget to take our children to the dentist, or miss a deadline on a work project–but somehow in the midst of all of this, we often forget ourselves and our own health.

I can’t count the number of times I have heard from smart, educated women, that “breast and ovarian cancers don’t run in their family” or “they have not had a mammogram lately/skipped their annual well woman’s exam because they feel good.” When I hear these things, I explain that no one is exempt from these conversations and that taking the time to #ListenUp to our bodies and catch these cancers at early, non life threatening stages is so, so important.

Here are three things you can do today to help #ListenUp to your body:

Plan all of your annual doctor appointments for a specific month. For me, February is “take care of me month.” I make sure that I schedule all of my annual appointments during this time because it works best for my life and schedule.

Use the first day of every month to remind myself to be self-aware. This month (and every month!), #ListenUp to your ovarian health, take note of any changes in your body, and spend some time collecting your family health history.

We know that these cancers are prevalent and serious. But if caught early, the survival rate is amazing! The key is to be your own health and wellness advocate, because early detection and prevention can save your life. It saved mine.

SUSAN EURITT is a Bright Pink Educational Ambassador living in Chicago, IL. She is the Principal at Ruckus Strategic Partnership Consulting.

Whether we recognize it or not, we are in constant conversation with our bodies. Dehydrated? Betcha have parched lips! Conquer an insanely hard workout last night? Those sore muscles sum it up perfectly. While some of these cues from our body are easier to recognize than others, let’s be real: our bodies are often the first to tell us when it is in need of some love or attention.

But, how often do we listen to our bodies when it comes to our ovarian health? When’s the last time you paused and took time to #ListenUp to what your ovaries are telling you? When we know that 1 in 75 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her lifetime and the 5-year survival rate can be greater than 92% when detected early, there is no time like the present to get up close and personal with our ovaries and ovarian health.

This Ovarian Cancer Month, Bright Pink wants you to tune in and #ListenUp to what your ovaries are telling you! We want to empower you to be your ovaries’ best advocate by knowing the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, feeling confident in knowing your body, and collecting your family health history to better understand your individual risk level for ovarian cancer.

We know what you’re thinking, “Okay, I know I need to #ListenUp to my ovaries, but what do I #ListenUp for?” We have answers. While many of these signs and symptoms can be confused for common menstrual or digestive issues, it’s important to stay in tune with your body and take note of any changes. If these signs or symptoms persist or worsen for 2-3 weeks, see your doctor as ask: “Could it be my ovaries?”

Primary Symptoms

Pelvic or abdominal pain

Needing to urinate urgently or often

Prolonged bloating

Difficulty eating/feeling full quickly

Secondary Symptoms

Fatigue

Upset stomach or heartburn

Back pain

Pain during intercourse

Menstrual changes

Join us all month long in sharing these signs and symptoms with the women you love so they can also #ListenUp to their bodies. We will also be doing some exciting things on social (think: female-inspired playlist to bounce to all month long) in addition to sharing personal stories from amazing women in our network about their experience with ovarian health and cancer. Be sure to follow us on Facebook (@BrightPink), Instagram (@BeBrightPink), and Twitter (@BeBrightPink) and use the hashtag #ListenUp to stay as up-to-date as possible!

Bright Pink’s supporters are paramount in helping us achieve our mission of empowering women to live proactively. Our hearts were filled to the brim when we got a donation from an 11-year-old named Maia. She shared:

We’re touched by Maia’s generosity. Follow her lead by making a gift to support our work. Together, we can ensure girls like Maia can be healthy and live on until they, too, are super, super old. 😉 Give Today.

Thank you for your commitment to our work, for your belief in the power of personalized prevention, and for helping shape a brighter future – one in which every woman knows her risk for breast and ovarian cancer, and takes action to manage that risk proactively.

With gratitude,
Katie Thiede, CEO

Remember, if you haven’t yet made your 2017 tax-deductible contribution to support our work, now’s the time! Visit http://BrightPink.org/Donate to give today.

CME Group takes supporting Bright Pink to a whole new level through multi-office activation, department fundraising competitions, educational workshops and more! Through a meaningful corporate donation and creative employee fundraising, they’re on track to make a gift of $160,000 to Bright Pink in 2017 through the annual Pink for a Purpose campaign. We sat down with Kristin Wood, Senior Director, Internal Communications and Community Relations at CME Group, to learn more about this best-in-class corporate partnership.

Tell us a bit about CME Group, the Foundation, and your philanthropic priorities?

Giving back to the communities in which our employees and clients live and work is important to CME Group. We are fortunate that so many of our employees, as well as members of our larger exchange community, share our commitment to give back and support our charitable initiatives. The CME Group Community Foundation, which focuses on helping with education, children in need, and health and human services is an important part of our philanthropic efforts, and it is through the Foundation that we make our corporate donation to Bright Pink and match donations made by our employees.

Why Bright Pink?

Managing risk is our business, and we appreciate that Bright Pink has made it theirs, too. As the only national non-profit focused on the early detection and prevention of breast and ovarian cancer, Bright Pink is meeting an important need for the at-risk community. Knowledge is power, and Bright Pink is empowering young women across the country to live proactively at a young age. That is a cause we are proud to stand behind.

What activities take place at the office or elsewhere during the campaign?

We host kickoff receptions in each of our offices, which is a fun way to celebrate the campaign results from the prior year and get everyone excited to start again. In addition to our corporate fundraising page, we also have a number of employees with personal connections to the cause who make their own fundraising appeals. Their efforts have been a big boost to us and also reinforce just how many people’s lives have been affected by breast and ovarian cancer. While fundraising is important, we also want to educate our employees about the risks associated with these cancers. We partner with Bright Pink to host Brighten Up Workshops at our offices each year, which have been well attended and received. For us, it comes down to raising money and awareness.

What has been the most creative department fundraiser? The most successful?

This year, our Corporate Marketing & Communications Division is hosting a “Pink Pong Tournament”, which is a clever spin on our pink for a purpose theme to raise money for the cause. Our Legal Department has been a phenomenal supporter of the campaign, sponsoring a bake sale for the past two years that has raised more than $6,000. The effort has even gone global, with our Bangalore office sponsoring a fair to celebrate the Diwali holiday with all proceeds benefiting Bright Pink. These are just a few examples of the enthusiasm the campaign has generated among our team.

How has this partnership impacted CME Group employees personally?

One of the most meaningful aspects of our campaign is a “Share Your Story” feature on our company intranet. We’ve had a number of employees open up about what the fight against breast and ovarian cancer means to them personally. Across our fundraising pages, you see messages being added to donations to honor colleagues, friends and family members who have suffered from breast and ovarian cancer. This cause really hits home for our employees, which makes it even more of a priority for us.

What advice do you have for others organizing corporate philanthropy?

First, you have to pick a cause that you believe in and that you know will resonate with your community. Then you have to find the right partner. Bright Pink has been amazing to work with and really responsive to our needs. But above all else, you have to be creative and give everyone a chance to get involved, whether that’s through fundraising or donating, or even just becoming more informed about the cause and why it matters.

My mom’s first symptoms were back pain and heartburn. Her doctor told her to take some antacids and that was that. It wasn’t until a bit later that she started having to go to the restroom more frequently. Then abdominal pain woke her in the middle of the night, three nights in a row. While her first symptoms didn’t seem to signal anything serious, it was the sleep-disrupting abdominal pain that ultimately made her take notice and visit the doctor.

“I think mothers are those rare people who will listen to you talk about seemingly nothing for hours. At least, mine is! She’s really supportive, and I think we have more of a friendship now that I’m older.”

My mom and I had both had prior gynecologic surgeries. Unfortunately, they’re a little too commonplace in our family. So when she underwent surgery in 2011, I didn’t think much of it, but the doctors immediately knew it was ovarian cancer. Waiting after her operation to hear just how far the cancer had advanced was agonizing. When we finally got results, we learned she had Stage 1 ovarian cancer. Reflecting on this moment today, I realize how little I knew about cancer at the time – I didn’t even know there were different stages! And in my mom’s case, the stage her cancer was detected was key. In fact, it is likely what saved her life.

“It’s unusual for ovarian cancer to be detected that early. It’s kind of like what they always say about ovarian cancer… it whispers, so listen.”

I was 11 years old when my grandmother passed away. But it wasn’t until after my mom’s diagnosis that I learned that my grandmother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer just three weeks prior to her death.

I began to connect the dots about what my strong family history of ovarian cancer meant for me and my health.

“I know that I fall within the ‘increased risk’ category, but my risk feels even higher to me sometimes.”

This information, on top of my own history of gynecologic issues, led me to make some very important changes to my health and wellness.

I began by making changes to my lifestyle to reduce my risk. I changed my diet and became a vegetarian. It was a personal choice that has really helped me learn different healthy ways of cooking. I also make sure to stay on top of my workouts. In addition to eating healthy and working out, I monitor my gynecologic health with two ultrasounds a year, and while these aren’t to screen for ovarian cancer, it makes me comfortable knowing how closely my gynecologic health is being watched.

And finally, I surround myself with other young women who are advocating for their health through Bright Pink! Bright Pink is an organization that’s tackling the issues that are so often at the forefront of my mind. I’ve had a doctor say to me “You’re too young to have ovarian cancer, so we’ll rule that out,” despite knowing my family history! My mom has met many young ovarian cancer survivors; young women need this information, too!

“It was a breath of fresh air to find Bright Pink.”

This summer I graduated from Bright Pink University (BPU). The other ambassadors and I all had different motivations for going through training, and the diversity of experiences helped me grow. I’m really excited to get out into my local community to give Brighten Up presentations and start these conversations!

There are so many misconceptions about ovarian cancer and most women don’t know much about it. But it’s my own experiences with gynecologic issues that have made a strong impression on me. Symptoms of ovarian cancer can be really vague and hard to explain. In general, I’ve learned to be an advocate for myself and get a second opinion when the first one didn’t give me the answers I needed. It’s so important to push when you know something isn’t right, it can make all the difference – that’s what I want other young women to know!

Bright Pink and Zeta Tau Alpha are hitting the road to Brighten Up college campuses across the country by educating and empowering students to be proactive about their breast and ovarian health! Workshops will be proudly hosted by the school’s local Zeta Tau Alpha chapter. Aerie is also joining us for the ride to lead a wellness activity & provide fun freebies for all attendees. We invite students to join us for this interactive health experience on their very own campus. Attendees will walk away with life-saving knowledge to practice wellness and prevention.

See below for a list of campuses we’re visiting this fall. We hope to see you there!